I make an “asian” chicken salad that started as a riff on Whole Foods’ spicy chicken salad — chicken, mayo. scallions, finely diced red onion, sriracha, sesame oil, and a splash of rice vinegar, with a bit of cilantro to finish. Sometimes I’ll add some broccoli slaw or water chestnuts for a bit of crunch.
I do love “plain” chicken salad too - poached chicken, mayo, red onion, lots of pepper. If I buy it at the grocery store, it has celery. If I make it at home, I leave it out.
I don’t know if tuna salad counts here, but my favorite kind has no mayo but does have a kick — red onion or shallot, oil-packed tuna, pepper, minced serrano or other green chilli, and a squeeze of lemon juice. A bit of cilantro too if I have it on hand. Makes a great sandwich on soft white bread, but also really good on hearty toast.
